Perfect Timing

Ember Frost stared out of her bedroom window and absent-mindedly traced the water droplets that clung to the cool glass with her fingers. She loved the rain. Lightning struck and thunder boomed. She loved the beautiful chaos of it all.

A knock on her door startled her out of her trance. She turned at the sound and got up off of the window seat to answer it. She made it to the door in a few long strides, her long legs carrying her quickly. When she opened the door, she sighed.

"Hello Cyan."

"Ember." The tall, broad shouldered man pushed his way into her room and began pacing.

"What do you need Cyan?" she asked him.

"Where were you last night? You didn't get home until three in the morning. Do you know how worried I was about you? Were you with another guy? I will not stand for my mate to be flaunting herself around with another male!" he growled.

Ember rolled her eyes. "Yes I was with another guy. His name is Elliot Frost. He is my brother." She told him and rolled her eyes. "And Cyan, you are not my mate."

"You know I am. I am the alpha male, you are the alpha female. We have the connection. You are mine."

Ember shook her head and looked at Cyan. She wouldn't deny she found him unbelievably attractive. He was well over six feet tall with a muscular build that would give any female dreams of hot sweaty nights. Dark blonde hair curled over his forehead and into deep green eyes. He had strong features. A slightly crooked nose from one too many fights and full lips that brought sinfully wicked thoughts to mind.

Nope she wasn't one to deny the truth, and she wanted Cyan Grey with every fiber of her being. That didn't mean she liked him. She actually hated him with a passion that nearly outweighed the one that made him want to strip the man naked.

She'd known him her entire life. From the day she was born, she'd been raised to be his mate. As children they'd been inseparable. They'd been best friends. They'd had the connection that marked them as mates for as long as they could remember. They could read each other's minds and thoughts. They felt the same emotions as the other one felt. They'd had a tie that had been unbreakable; that was until Cyan had reached the age of eighteen, three years before her, and become alpha male. With the new status in the pack, he'd become cocky and self-assured. He'd started sleeping around with every willing female in the pack, and fighting anyone who would raise their fists. He'd changed from the sweet boy who'd held her heart so many years before.

"Cyan, I choose not to mate with you. I do have the right to refuse you."

"Oh you think so? No man would dare go against me and touch you. Not if they valued their life."

"Oh please. If I wanted another man to touch me there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do about it." Ember growled at him. Not that another man had touched her. She'd never been with a man save for the heavy petting that had occurred between her and Cyan in their early teens before he had changed.

Cyan's only response was to growl and grab her by her shoulders. "Come again?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. His fingers dug into her shoulders to the point of pain.

"Cyan let go of me. You're hurting me damnit!" she said.

His hold loosened but he didn't let go of her.

"You are mine Emmy. You'd do best to remember that." He said lowering his mouth to her neck and scraping his teeth against the sensitive skin under her left ear.

Ember couldn't help but moan as her eyes closed. Her head filled with lust with her mate so close. His lips moved over her throat and he began to nibble on her ear.

"Ember, give into me." He whispered roughly and Ember's eyes popped open. She pushed Cyan off and took three quick steps back.

"Leave Cyan." She said, cursing her shaky voice.

"I will. But first I have to tell you that we need to issue a pack meeting soon. There are a group of rouges moving in on our territory. A human girl was killed. It was deemed animal attack by the local authorities, but it wasn't. We need to do something before someone else gets killed."

Ember closed her eyes in a quick moment of grief for the girl before nodding her head. "Gather the pack first thing in the morning. Everyone is too exhausted to deal with it tonight." She told him.

"Alright. I'm going out patrolling tonight. Keep down the fort while I'm gone. Em, you look exhausted. Get some sleep." He told her and left her standing in the middle of her room.

Being the alpha of one of the largest and strongest werewolf packs around was a burden at times, but she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. She loved every single pack member and did her best to treat them right. They were all her family.

Walking over to the full length mirror leaning up against the wall, Ember stared at her appearance. She looked tired. Her blue eyes were dull and had purple bruises marring milky pale skin. Her black hair was pulled up into a messy knot at the base of her neck and her baggy sweats looked as if they'd seen better days. Normally she projected the image of a professional leader. Tonight she looked like an exhausted twenty-three year old woman who hadn't slept more than five hours in a week's time due to reoccurring nightmares.

A glance at the clock told her it was just past six. Her eyes were beginning to burn. She walked over to her bed and climbed under the covers, falling asleep with the lights still on.

Cyan ran through the forest in the form of a huge golden wolf. His mind was working through a million different problems as his nose traced the scent of the rouges that had been closing in on his territory for the past few days.

The main thought on his mind was Ember. She'd looked like hell when he'd left her standing there in her room, but even with shadows under those mesmerizing baby blue eyes and exhaustion clear on her face she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

She was tall, almost six feet of curvy female. Her hair was the color of the midnight sky and her skin the color of cream. It was just as soft.

He knew she hated him. She wanted him, but she hated him at the same time. He deserved it, he knew, but it broke his heart just the same.

He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of a low growl coming from behind him. He whipped around and came face to face with a large grey wolf with blood red eyes and bared yellow teeth.

The wolf lunged at him and he side stepped the attack with ease. Rouge Werewolves tended to be so far gone when they attacked that they were very easily evaded. It was when one got a hold of you that you needed to be worried. They were stronger than the average wolf, not including alphas, so they could rip their target to shreds.

Cyan growled at the rouge and crouched low in anticipation. When a rouge attacked it was usually a fight to the death. Cyan closed his eyes for a brief nanosecond in guilt over what he was about to do and then lunged for the wolfs throat. It was a quick, clean, and easy kill. The rouge was dead instantly. Cyan knew there were others around so he turned and ran back towards his compound. When he reached it, his second in command was waiting for him. Ty was his best friend and the best beta Cyan had.

"Did you find anything?" Ty asked. He would have been out patrolling with Cyan on any other night but his sister had gone into labor and had wanted him there.

"I was attacked by a rouge. I killed it, but I sensed there were many more hidden in the trees. It wasn't very strong so it was more than likely a new rouge. I'll have to go back out tomorrow night." Cyan answered running a hand over his face.

"Tomorrow is Ember's night to patrol." Ty pointed out.

"I'm going out as well. In doubling security and I need all able betas out patrolling with us."

Ty nodded. "Reagan had two beautiful baby boys. They look just like me!" Ty said with a huge grin.

"As long as they don't act like you to, we should be fine." Cyan grinned back and slapped the proud uncle on his back.

"Ember has already seen the kids. She looked like hell, and I assume she'd just woken up. She went right back to bed after. She's working herself too hard Cyan. It's not good for her. I bet she hasn't gotten a full nights worth of sleep in weeks." Ty said.

"You aren't telling me anything I don't already know." Cyan sighed. "She's pushing herself to do more than she should."

Ty was quiet and Cyan shook his head. "I need a shower. I smell like a dog." he said with a hint of a smile and took of toward his room.

He walked in and was shocked to see Ember passed out on his bed. He quietly walked over and sat before her sleeping form. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

"I felt the attack. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I fell asleep. Sorry." she said in a sleepy voice.

"I'm fine Em. No need to apologize. You can go back to sleep if you'd like. God knows you need it."

"Your bed is comfortable. Much more comfortable than mine."

"If your stubborn ass would agree to be my mate, this would be your bed. It would be our bed."

"When I mate, I will make sure I'm the only woman who has ever been in my mate's bed." Ember said as she drifted into sleep.

Cyan sighed and looked down at her, running a finger down her smooth pale cheek. "You are the only woman allowed in my bed mi amore." he whispers even if she couldn't hear him.